The 'nut who can stop a puck' still driven to win

The Buffalo News's Bucky Gleason wrote a tremendous article about Dominik Hasek today:

February 25, Buffalo News: [W]ith his gray sideburns and thinning hair at age 42, an age when most athletes are counting their money and their blessings, Hasek refused to say this season would be his last. For once, he wanted to think before making rash statements about his future. In some strange, twisted Dominik Hasek way, it should be construed as progress.

"It's about the playoffs," Hasek said earlier this month. "If I was healthy last year in the playoffs, the storywould be different. But because of what happened, I felt I didn't finish my job. It's not the way I wanted to retire."
...
"To me, he's as sharp as he ever was, he works as hard as he ever did, and he's still as competitive as he ever was," 45-year-old defenseman Chris Chelios said. "He hasn't lost his desire. A guy doesn't have that much success and not want to play. He just loves the game."
...
"It's the winning and having fun winning," Hasek said. "I cannot have fun if I'm not winning. This is a winning team. I made lots of money when I was in my . . . I don't want to say my prime, but the age of my prime . . . so I don't have any problem making $750,000. I wanted to prove something."

There's much, much more about Hasek's evolution as a goaltender, athlete, and human being over his career. He's put much of his stick-breaking tantrums behind him, he now regrets getting into an altercation with former Buffalo News columnist Jim Kelley, but he's still a perfectionist who despises giving up goals in practice.